Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1887-06-30

the commission say, to do anything that
could not be equally well done by an
acknowledged and skillful juggler. like
Heller, whom they were so fortunate as
to have with them, 1t remains that there
are certain phenomena that, from the
time of Emanuel Swedenborg down to the
present, have never been satisfactorily
explained; and 1t would seem, since so
many have been and are puzzled TO
account for them, not beneath the dig
nifty Of science to separate them from
the mass of humbug by which they arc
surrounded, and enter upon their explain
alton.
Among the phenomena may be classed
liable tipping and walking" the curious
and well authenticated knocking" and,
above all, what is known as "clairvoy-
ance." Is the Seybert commission pre-
pared to say that these manifestations
are necessarily fraudulent?
If so, they should have their attention
called to the findings Of an equally rcli-
able commission. formed some years ago,
Of Heidelberg professors, who, after the
same careful investigation, recorded the
contrary opinion; one of their number,
Herr Heinemann, professor Of physics in
Heidelberg University, writing an inter
estlng and instructive little treatise on
the result of his investigations. where.
under the title Of 1.-THE Fourth Dimen-
sion of Space" he attempts to formulate
a theory 10 account for their existence.
He does not find in them any s%upernatur,
al attributes; but, on the contrary. re-
CARDS them as the expression of a natural
force, the characteristics of which he at
tempts to explain, while admitting ig.
norance as to Its origin.
Wholly outside the circle OF profes.
sional s%piritualists and jugglers, there are
those who possess, unconsciously,
strange powers. Witnesses testify that
tables follow them about a room, and
other phenomena, unasked, as they are
uncanny, come at unexpected moments.
Intelligent and i%ncredulous persons have
been astounded by the revelations made
them by certain so called "clairvoyants'
as to circumstances and happenings in
their earlier lives; things of little conse-
quence, of which ever their intimate
friends were never apprised, and oil
which 1t seems incredible that these
"clairvoyants," could have any means OF
informing themselves in advance.
In his "Transcendental Philosophy"
that eminent physicist, Baron Karl Won
Reichenbach, attempts an explanation OF
similar phenomena, which he attributes
to q force which he calls ''odic' or the
force Of ''od." "Od," says an ex,
FOUNDER of his theory, "peryades all ma
ture, and Is akin to the great physical
forces of electricity, magnetism, chemi
cal affinity, heat, light, ETC., and Away
accompanies them. SO that wherever they
are In action, or is developed, and thu
strength of its most active development
Is often in proportion to the energy o
their action. AS in electricity and mag
netism there is a polar dualism. so alsc
there Is in cd. 1t has two poles, tn
positive and negative, which keep com
pany respectively with the electric an,
magnetic positive and negative poles
The human body is od-positive on tn
left side and od-negative on the right
This graduation of amorphous bodie
from ~od-negative to ~od-positive is Gale
|, the od-chemical order, and Is found I
correspond with the electro.chemict
, order established by Berzelius. The obi
radiation can be felt and seen by certai
persons called 'sensitives,' who have
. peculiar nervous susceptibility; viii
e the majority Of mankind, called mol
sensitives.' are entirely insensible to u
odic influences and Impressions. Cd
' s~entiveness has many symptoms, anon
w,IsA 4. ltahtIltAw 30 nor, a ~ htrltoV
( capability Of being magnetized, inabilil
TO sleep on the left side. in the northel
II hemisphere, dislike Of strong yello
~ colors, fondness for blIe as opposed
yellow, dislike OF crowds and close room
and dislike OF fatty and fondness T
sourish victuals. The causes of maj
singular phenomena not hitherto unde
stood are explained by the odic theory,
A Emmanuel Kant. the great metaphyl
clan, recognized the existence of physic
manifestations. and so classified the
that they might be completely separate
from the movable; and, though he w
o unwilling to admit the conclusions
i Fichte as expressed in the latter's IRE
e~lations," he virtually admitted that
' was not altogether prepared to deny I'll
truth of what related to the phenomen'
The spirit of the age tends toward inve
tigation. Surprising "spiritualism" Is
fraud, as this committee says 1t is, an
, innumerable other Investigations hay
7 shown 1t to be, may there not BIO som,
. thing In the so.called second sight an
!. other physical phenomena? May the
, not be the expression of q natural fore
not any more related TO the supernaturi
| than are electricity and magnetism